Well to be strictly accurate, though they were expected to attend, Canon apparently never actually completed the paperwork and if you check the list of exhibitors you'll see that Canon aren't listed. Other notable absentees from names one would hope might have been there are Hasselblad, Olympus and Samsung, to name but three. That's not to say that one wouldn't find cameras from those manufacturers represented at the various retailer's booths but there's no guarantee that you will find the model you are specifically interested in.

This is a bit of a shocker so far as I'm concerned as Focus on Imaging is the UK's biggest consumer photo show.

The show runs from the 6th to the 9th of March at the Birmingham NEC.

Update: Leica has just appeared on the list of attendees. Maybe they've taken some of the floor space previously reserved for Canon. Hey, a silver lining.

That's a shame for all the Canon shooters who were planning to go there. But FOI is still a great show, a friend of mine has gone there a number of times. Picked me up a Zeiss 85mm f/1.4 last year, for far less than what it'd normally cost. So if you're shopping for some new equipment, and you happen to be around, do visit Focus on Imaging, you might just save yourself a good amount of money.

I'm still in negotiation with my potential dog-sitter. If she is able then I'll certainly be practising my own hang-dog "I wish I had one of those" looks focussed directly at the Leica stand. I'll also try and get a look at the X100.

Oh dear, I wish you hadn't told me about those potential bargains as I've just had a VERY big spend on a new telescope mounting.

.
Update: No Leica stand at the show either, despite the fact that, as I write, they are clearly shown on the list of exhibitors. They aren't on the floor plan (PDF) but I do hear that Jacobs should have some Leicas at hand so all's not lost...

FOI very thoughtfully include the disclaimer that the "Exhibitor list for Focus 2011 is subject to change without notice". Seems that they have no confidence in their own ability to accurately reflect who might or might not turn up. Funny way to run a website promoting a show.

EDIT: Jacobs, that's where I got the 85mm Zeiss. Get there early enough if you're looking for something special, because it might sell out quickly. I hoped to get the 1.4/85 and 1.4/35 both at the same time, but the latter was already gone.

Thanks for the tip. I'll be there in the afternoon of day one so I guess any bargains will have gone. Probably just as well because if I saw an EF 135mm f/2L USM I could be seriously tempted if the price was right!

Well, Canon and Olympus not having bothered to turn up did have some benefits for the visitors to the show:

Bjorn asked above whether camera trade shows have a future. I'd say a definite "Yes" though they would certainly be diminished if the big players fail to turn up.

But, to take an unrepresentative sample of one incident, not turning up may also backfire on the manufacturers concerned. While I was waiting in the queue at one major retailer's stand a gentleman in front of me asked for a Canon 5D Mark II which was duly produced. But as soon as he started opening the box he was told quite curtly that the cameras weren't there for demonstration, only for sale. Just "Day One" of the show and I definitely got the impression that one retailer at least was not at all happy that Canon had effectively tried to offload camera demonstration duties by not turning up. Olympus presumably suffered likewise and I do find it strange that both companies should take such an attitude when they had new models they could have shown.

But turning up isn't everything. I took the opportunity to visit the Sony stand and they had gone all out, reserving lots of floor space and even providing a few circus skills (hoops, juggling etc) for the edification and photografication of the punters. Not up to Cirque du Soleil standards, of course, but full marks for effort. But it all went a bit awry as I spent ten minutes or so enjoying an intimate discussion about various aspects of the NEX-5 camera with an attractive lady demonstrator and neither of us managed to find out how to change the ISO setting. Gordon has already gone into that aspect of the NEX firmware at depth and it only took me a moment to find the answer once I got home and looked at the manual but it did leave me wondering if Sony should have spent less on the entertainment budget and more on staff training!

But back to Bjorn's question. I thoroughly enjoyed the show and I'm sure that enjoyment will translate into sales in due time. I saw some very nice Epson printers, a gorgeous EIZO monitor and even got hands on with a Leica M9 (demonstrated, I might add, at another booth occupied by the same retailer who was refusing to demonstrate Canon's products!). I also saved myself from future wasted time by getting hands on with some other kit that was on my wish list but which I can now forget about. But in addition to checking out loads of hardware that probably is never on display outside the major city centres there was also an opportunity to learn more about products and services which don't normally make the headlines, such as the British registered charity The Disabled Photographers' Society. Yes, that was a gratuitous plug I just gave them but we have had occasional enquires from photographers with various disabilities so it's nice to at least have a UK link to share in future.

I think as more and more stores close down in favour of cheaper online sales, it's becoming more and more important for buyers to have somewhere they can actually play with this stuff in person. Apple has the right idea with its stores, but that's a big investment, and I don't think we can even expect to see a Canon store anytime soon.

So that really leaves trade shows as the only place where buyers can get their hands on kit, so it's a real shame when big names - or any names - pull out.

That said, it's an opportunity for others to clean up. Some people may have visited Focus to play with Canon kit, and went home considering - or even buying - Sony instead. Certainly as discussed elsewhere in the forum, Sony is really growing market share and it's not just down to innovative products - they understand you have to show them to people too.